Hot Topics:

Taylor-made performance

FOXBORO -- In a league filled with high-profile running backs, Fred Taylor has run under the radar for much of his 12 seasons in the NFL.

After spending the first 11 years of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Taylor came to New England essentially to be part of a team that is consistently at the head of the pack when it comes to the race for the Super Bowl.

Despite the wear and tear that comes with running for 11,447 career yards, good for 15th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list, Taylor's legs still have enough giddy-up in them to kick start a Patriots' offense that has been running in place at times in the early going this season.

Taylor may not be the every-down back he once was during his glory days with the Jaguars, but he's still durable, and more importantly, dependable.

Tom Brady handed the ball to Taylor 21 times yesterday and he in turn helped hand the Patriots a 26-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium, rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown. It was the 49th 100-yard game of his career.

"It felt good," said Taylor. "It always feels good when you can run a few guys over and create some momentum for the offense. I'd be lying if I said different. I just want to do my job, whatever I can to help our team, that's what I'm here for."

There was a time in Jacksonville when carrying the ball over 20 games in a game was the norm for Taylor. But his last couple years with the Jaguars he shared carries with Maurice Jones-Drew.

Advertisement

This year he has split time in the backfield with Laurence Maroney (who left yesterday's game with a thigh injury) and Sammy Morris. In the first Patriots' first two games he only carried the ball 17 times for 71 yards.

So in many ways this was a turn-back-clock performance.

At his post-game press conference, Taylor was asked if he felt sore. Taylor grinned, as opposed to grimacing, through the pain when responding. "I'm waiting for the Aleve and the Tylenol to wear off," he said. "And then maybe tomorrow you can ask that question."

Bill Belichick asked a lot of Taylor yesterday, and the veteran responded to the challenge. He carried the ball the final four plays on the touchdown drive that put the Patriots up 10-3 in the second quarter, ripping off runs of 8, 19 and 6 yards before dashing into the end zone from 8-yards out.

"I wish I had the offensive line here with me," said Taylor, 33, who signed with the Patriots in the off-season as a free agent after being released by Jacksonville. "They did most of the work. My job was to run straight. I didn't do much. On the touchdown run I walked into the end zone. The offensive line blocked it up like they were supposed to."

With Taylor leading the way, the Patriots rushed for 168 yards as a team on 39 carries. This helped making things easier for Brady and the passing game. Brady misfired on some passes in the Red Zone, but he did hook up with tight end Chris Baker on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 7:46 remaining that sealed the win. The TD pass was the 200th of Brady's NFL career.

Stephen Gostkowski accounted for the rest of the Patriots' points with 4 field goals.

"(Taylor) ran great," said Brady. "He's really shifty so even when there isn't a lot of room in there he makes yards whenever we give him the ball. He's a really good player for us. We have to give him the ball. The running game was great. It really set up that play-action that we had. It was really good execution on the line and the running backs part."

It remains to be seen whether Taylor will become a leading man as the Patriots move forward, or if he'll continue to be cast mainly in a supporting role in an offense that has seen Brady attempt a total of 142 passed through three games.

"Fred's run hard for us all year, in all camps, training camp, the preseason," said Patriots' coach Bill Belichick. "He runs hard and he runs smart. He knows where the holes are. He sets up blocks well. He can carry the load."

Taylor is a tone-setting runner, who doesn't mind taking the truck route, between the tackles, to glory. Offensive linemen relate to his no-nonsense running style and enjoy blocking for him.

"I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to win the game and as an offensive guy you want to establish that momentum and look over across the ball and see the frustration in the face of the defensive guys," said Taylor. "It just fires you up to keep going."

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.